The website, which will continue to develop as the Congress progresses towards its November 12, 2014 opening in Sydney, Australia, outlines the Congress programme, streams and themes and how you can get involved. It also shows background information on IUCN, past Congresses, and our hosts and partners, Parks Australia and the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Protected areas – national parks, wilderness areas, community conserved areas, nature reserves and so on – are a mainstay of biodiversity conservation, while also contributing to people’s livelihoods, particularly at the local level.

The IUCN World Parks Congress is a landmark forum on protected areas conservation that takes place only once every 10 years. Since its first staging in Seattle, USA in 1962, the Congress has moved the protected areas agenda forward, and resulted in cutting-edge work that has become integral to today’s protected area conservation foundations and successes.

For Sydney 2014, the theme of Parks, People, Planet – Inspiring Solutions will bring together conservation professionals and a diverse group of participants, including business, youth and the next generation of conservation leaders, to take the next step towards a new benchmark for protected areas by positioning them within broader social and economic goals.

Please visit the site to stay up-to-date on the latest information and find out how you can contribute to this influential conservation forum. It will be updated frequently, and we look forward to your engagement as we make strides towards Sydney in November 2014.